The Arts at Wasatch: Our Vision

One of the most defining elements of Wasatch Elementary School is our focus on Fine Arts. With arts as an interdisciplinary partner with other subjects taught in school, ours is an ideal climate for learning. Our focus on the arts allows us a sense of connection that joins the school population of all ages, their teachers (who either make art themselves or are avid consumers), the professional artists from the community who serve as specialists in our school, and the broader realm of cultural arts support as reflected in our institutions and performances our student attend on field trips.

Connections abound within and beyond our school walls for all subjects studied throughout the year. Within the context of a closely connected arts community, there is a respect for and appreciation of our uniqueness and our differences. Many families chose to attend Wasatch for our strong arts emphasis, and our respect for everybody who wants to be here is reflected in all that we are and hope to be.

Throughout the work that we do with our children, two elements are evident in school:

One is the process of creating the art and the other is the reflection. The doing (process) is mutually tied to the thinking (reflection). Finally, there is the redoing (refining) that comes from the reflection that restarts these interactions again.

Our teachers often think of our school as a work in progress. That is, our effectiveness lies not just in our vision and goals, but perhaps more importantly, in our dedication and determination to the process over time. As one of our children so wisely said, "It's OK to make mistakes in this school because of the art we do." A teacher was overheard to say, "It's like having a long, delicious conversation that goes on indefinitely."

Reflection allows us to get involved in projects that are genuinely under development and new with each year rather than doing something because we do it every year at a certain time. Teachers and students are engaged in authentically shared study of a topic. As you visit our classrooms, you may notice teachers who pay keen attention to details, encourage quality listening to members of the class community, framing open-ended questions that have no right or wrong answers, and thinking skills that are deeper and more complex than 'drill and kill.'

Exhibits and performances of student work often associated with the product of our efforts, can also serve to document our learning. Our students love to perform and the real challenge is to keep their focus on what they are learning. Opportunities such as our Town Meetings, serve as a vehicle to monthly grade level presentations that relate an art form (drama, dance, visual or music) to an area of that grade level's curriculum. The key ingredients for providing a captivating climate for a strong arts school are the twin resources of time and additional donated funds.

What is a Town Meeting?

Some people might just call it an old-fashioned assembly. But it's more... SO much more. Town Meetings are a coming together of our school community to celebrate what we've learned and what we know about the arts. Each classroom shares, through performance, their infusion of the arts in relation to our arts focus for the year. Our parent and community donations make this all possible!

Parents, grandparents, family, neighbors, and community members are invited to each performance.

Parent Performance Schedule

Date

Time

Classroom

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

1:30 PM

Grandy, Coleman, Wiscomb

Friday, November 17, 2017

11:00 AM

Farrell, Haslam

Monday, February 26, 2018

1:30 PM

Bowling, Hames, Wedick

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

1:30 PM

Willardsen, Findley-Anderson

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

10:30 AM

Kindergarten

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

1:00 PM

Blank, Criquelion, Travers, Fuller

Teachers have much to cover in every hour of the day. Ours is a school committed to allowing time to reflect and incorporate arts into most all cultural and academic endeavors. While this seems a luxury that few schools feel they can afford in our current educational climate, we are passionate about exploring learning across areas that have meaning for individual children as well as entire classrooms. As artists on the stage of education, we are continually using our imaginations to serve as our window to the arts.

How do we do it all?

Thanks to generous family and community support yet again, we were able to deliver a quality arts program for as little as $110 per child for the whole year. That translates into about $2.75 per student, per week! However, with educational funding at a low, we cannot continue these wonderful art experiences without your support! Thank you for keeping the legacy alive of providing an outstanding arts program for all students at Wasatch Elementary.

How can you support the Wasatch Fine Arts Program?

Wasatch Arts Program Fundraising

Thanks to the generous donations of parents and friends, each year we are able to meet our goals and continue to provide the extensive arts programs we have at Wasatch. This year our goal is $60,000. So….where does the money go?

With your donations we are able to support:

Drama

Props, costumes, materials, and supplies for drama productions and town meetings

Music

Specialist's salary and materials for musical productions and town meetings

Dance

Specialist's salary, supplies, and materials for dance productions and town meetings

Visual Arts

Resident specialist/guest artist for each classroom for drama, dance, music or visual arts productions/projects

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Non-Discrimination

No district employee or student shall be subjected to discrimination in employment or any district program or activity on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. The district is committed to providing equal access and equal opportunity in its programs, services and employment including its policies, complaint processes, program accessibility, district facility use, accommodations and other Equal Employment Opportunity matters. The district also provides equal access to district facilities for all youth groups listed in Title 36 of the United States Code, including scouting groups. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries and complaints regarding unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation: Whitney Banks, Compliance and Investigations, 440 East 100 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111, (801) 578-8388. You may also contact the Office for Civil Rights, Denver, CO, (303) 844-5695.Click to view the long form of the civil rights noticesClick to view the grievance procedures